Bed-spring.



UNITED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT f raton.

ALBERT E. BEALL, OF CLINTON, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO CORA E. BEALL, OF

f CLINTON, IOWA.

BED-SPRING.

i SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 727,265, dated May 5', 1903.

Application led November 16, 1901l Serial No. 82,579. (No model.)

To aller/71,0171, it may concern:

Beit known thatI, ALBERT E. BEALL, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Bed-Spring, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to spring structures for beds and other furniture; and the object in view is to strengthen and generally improve structures' of this class, and particularlyto provide improved means for interlocking and staying the several spring elements and connecting them with the continuous stays, runners, or braces usually employed in devices of this class, the object of all such locks being lo cause the mutual support of the several spring elements, prevent relative displacement either longitudinally or transversely of the spring elements, and insure the distribution of strain, so that a comparatively uniform depression or compression of the spring elements may be obtained. p Y

Further objects and advantagesof the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel'features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a spring structure' embodying two connected'springelements and including the adjacent portions of the bracing elements. Fig. 2 isanelevation ot' one of the locks. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding-parts in all the figures of the draw-.

ings.

In the construction illustrated an upper marginal wire l is arranged substantially in the plane of the uppermost coils of the spring elements, which are of ordinary inverted conical construction, and parallel with this marginal wire is a longitudinal runner or brace wire 2, of which any desired number lnay be employed to suit the number of longitudinal series of spring elements 4 in the spring nstructure. The bases or smaller ends ofthe spring elements are connected by means of similar longitudinal runners or brace wires 2 and transverse runners or brace wires 3, which engage the lowermost coils of the spring elements a'nd are interlocked in any suitable lmanner, as by engaging offsets or kinks at the centers or axes of the spring elements, as in the ordinary practice. Each spring element which is arranged adjacent to a marginal wire or brace of the spring structure has its uppermost coil 6 inturned at its extremity and doubled upon itself to form a loop 7, which engages the adjacent portion of the next coil, andthe free side of this loop is carried outward, intersects the plane of the other side of the loop, and terminates in a hook 8, which engages the marginal wire, and thence is carried inward upon the opposite side of the' other arm of the loop. In the construction illustrated the free arm of .the loop 7 is eX- tended under the next lower or that coil of thespring element which is next to the terminal coil 6, thence under the arm of the loop and' under the marginal wirel, and the free side of the hook is carried inward over the marginal'wire and over that side of the loop which is continuous with the uppermostcoil of the spring element, thus forming an effective'lock'for connecting the vouter sides of themarginal spring elements uppermost coil of each spring element which is not arranged adjacent to a marginal Wire is extended and turned inwardand doubled upon itself to form a loop 9, similar to the loop 7, vand correspondingly engaged with the nextlower coilv ofthe spring element; but these extensions 10 of the intermediate spring elements (namely, those elements which are-not adjacent to th'e marginal wire andvone only of which is illustrated in the drawings) are disposed transversely to the longitudinal bracing members of the spring structure 'to insure transverse support to the spring elements. The extension or bracing arm 10, which is shown in the drawings, is disposed in a plane transverse to the bracingwire or runner 2 and is provided with a substantially vertical return-bendll, engaged IOO rise toward its inner end. The free side of the return-bend 11 is extended over the seat bend or oset 12 and thence downward obliquely between the upper coil 6 of the spring element and the adjacent portion of the bracing member 2, which intersects and passes over the coil 6 at an adjacent point. The extremity 13 of this return-bend l1 is therefore arranged below the plane of the uppermost coil of the spring element and is held from upward deflection or displacement by the intersecting portions of the coil 6 and the bracing member 2 and is hence prevented from chafing and cutting a mattress or other object which may rest upon the top of the spring structure. Also engaged with the returnbend 11 below and adjacent to the seat bend or offset l2 is an offset 14 in the bracing member 2, and this offset serves to prevent the upward bodily displacement of the transverse member or arm 10. Hence as the por-l tions of the bracing member 2 on opposite sides of the oifset 14 extend over the uppermost coil of the spring element to prevent downward relative displacement of said bracing member as the offset 14 engages the return-bend 11 to prevent relative inward displacement of the member 2 and corresponding outward displacement of the return-bend l1, which is engaged therewith, and as the return-bend and seat-bend are in engagement to prevent relative displacement of these parts with relation to the bracing member 2, downward displacement of the returnbend being correspondingly prevented by the engagement thereof with the seat-bend, it will be seen that without the use of any auxiliary tie these elements of the structure are iirmly interlocked, while allowing that bending or hinging movement which is essential to the operation of an efficient spring structure. This relative movement without displacement is also made more freeV and effective by the above-described inclination of the seat-bend. Moreover, it will be obvious from the foregoing description that the assembling of the parts of the spring structure may be accomplished without the use of pliers or other tools, and the disconnection of the parts may be accomplished at will when repair is necessary.

Each of the intermediate springs may be made as above described, with its extension 10 having the terminal structure described, each bracing-wire 2 with the spaced offsets to interlock with the complemental parts of the other features, and each marginal spring with the terminal loop 7, hook 8, and the opposite seat-bend for engagement with the returnbend and offsetof the other parts, said featuresbeing interlocked in the manner hereinbefore described at the time of assembling the elements to form a complete structure. My invention thus provides for the manufacture of stock springs, which may be assembled in any desired relation and number in the construction of bed springs or bottoms of the desired size, the only difference in construction between bed-bottoms of different sizes being in the lengths of the continuous bracing members, such as the marginal Wires l and the intermediate longitudinal bracing-4 wires 2, with, of course, the corresponding bracing members whereby the lower extremities of the spring elements are connected.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is In a spring structure, the combination of spring elements, one of which is provided in its top coil with a seat-bend and the other of which is provided with aterminal transverse bracing arm or extension having a returnbend, said seat-bend and return-bend being arranged in-intersecting planes and bearing laterally against each other, and a longitudinal bracing element bearing at spaced points upon the uppermost coil of that spring element in which said seat-bend is formed and having an intermediate offset extending under the seat-bend and engaged with the return-bend of said bracing element, the free side of said return-bend being extended and engaged between adjacent portions of the said coil and the longitudinal bracing member.

In testimony that I' claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT E. BEALL.

Witnesses:

B. R. PLoTTs, W. T. CURTIS. 

